This invention relates to a nest bank unit for housing laying hens. In the commercial production of chicken eggs, for example, it is necessary that a large number of chickens be housed and attended with a minimum expenditure of labor and and money. This requires that the nesting arrangement for the hens be easily attended by an individual to permit rapid gathering of the eggs, and of particular importance, to permit the quick and effective cleaning of the unit.
One type of nesting unit that has been used in the past is comprised of a galvanized metal housing that is partitioned into twelve individual bins or nests that are arranged in two tiers, or levels, of six bins each. The housing unit is formed by seven spaced apart, vertical galvanized panels or partitions that are aligned with their broad sides parallel to each other. The partitions are maintained as a rigid and fixed unit by metal bracing strips that extend from one end to the other along the front and back edges of the partitions. Metal bottoms or floors are placed horizontally between the bottom ends and between the mid regions of adjacent partitions to form the upper and lower bins or nests. In this manner, each nest bank forms twelve nests for as many hens.
The hens nest and lay their eggs in the individual bins. To gather the eggs, an attendant must search in each bin for the eggs laid therein. This is somewhat time consuming. A further disadvantage of this type of nest bank is that the hens frequently break some of the eggs when walking around the nests. This requires that the attendant make frequent rounds to gather the eggs before the hens can break them.
Furthermore, the hens frequently have dirty feet, and otherwise dirty the nests, so that that the eggs become dirty. This requires that the eggs be washed, a further expenditure of time and labor. Moreover, dirty eggs can lead to diseased chicks. This can lead to a serious loss to the producer.
Galvanized nest banks of the type described above are difficult to effectively clean. The bottoms of the bins rust out and must be replaced every several years.
The improved plastic nest bank unit of my invention eliminates the above, and other, problems and provides an easily attended nest bank that is relatively inexpensive to acquire and to maintain, is more sanitary, and affords a greater yield of eggs.